Cincinnati State signs seven recruits for 2013 men’s soccer season

By Nick Novy/Cincinnati State Sports Information

Cincinnati, OH---The Cincinnati State men's soccer program has signed seven Tri-State recruits for the 2013 season.The recruiting class takes in three OHSAA state champions and players from public and parochial schools in Cincinnati, Colerain Township, Dayton (OH) and Hamilton:

Hall, a goalkeeper, set a state record with 47 career shutouts while leading Summit Country Day to the 2012 Div. III state title. He was named one of Top Drawer's Top 100 Prospects, and last year also earned 1st Team All-Conference and 1st Team All-Southwest Ohio honors.

Geigle was named the GCL Central "Player of the Year" in 2012 and was a three-time 1^st Team All-Southwest Ohio selection.

Root was a three-time 1^st Team All-Conference selection and earned Colerain's "Scholar Athlete" award for outstanding academic achievement.

High school teammates Trae Collins and Vonne Byrd led Carroll to three consecutive state championships, and proved to be the top college prospects to come out of the Greater Cincinnati League. Byrd was named 1st Team All-Region, 1st Team All-State and GCL "Player of the Year." Collins earned 1st Team All-Region and 1st Team All-Conference honors while leading the GCL in scoring. Collins was also named Metro FC's "Player of the Year."

Schluter and Isaacs, teammates at perennial soccer powerhouse Centerville, were each 1^st Team All-Conference selections during their senior seasons. Isaacs, a two-year starting goalkeeper, posted a 0.58 goals against average and 7 shutouts in 2012.

"We have a strong group of freshman coming in," said Head Coach Mike Combs. "Coming from successful high school programs, we feel each of our incoming players will help continue our tradition of success at Cincinnati State."

Cincinnati State returns 13 players from last year's team, which played its way into the 2012 National Junior College Athletic Association national tournament. Last year the Surge soccer program finished the regular season with an overall record of 18-6-1 while claiming the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference title, a regional championship and district title.

In the last ten seasons, Cincinnati State has produced 13 All-Americans, 47 First Team All-OCCAC players, 34 All-Region players, 8 OCCAC "Player of the Year" recipients and 7 National Junior College Athletic Association "Player of the Week" recipients.

The men's soccer program at Cincinnati State has paved the way for student-athletes to continue their athletic careers on scholarship at four-year schools. Over the past decade 18 players have transferred to D-I programs, 19 to D-II programs, six to D-III programs and 12 players to NAIA institutions.

Cincinnati State soccer alumni include:

• Ashton Bennett (2010), who finished the 2011 NCCA Div. I regular season as the national leader in goals and points and was a top five goal scorer in 2012 while playing at Coastal Carolina University. He was recently drafted by Toronto FC of the MLS.
• Omar Cummings (2006), who led the Colorado Rapids to the MLS Championship in 2010 and was named the playoff's MVP. He currently plays for the Houston Dynamo of the MLS.

Cincinnati State competes in the OCCAC and in the NJCAA Div. I, Region XII, which includes programs from Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.

For more details on Cincinnati State soccer, please visit - http://www.cincinnatistate.edu/on-campus/athletics

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